Snowbyrd
by rudolphtherednoseddolly
Summary: A young girl is introduced to magic. By someone trying to kill her. Her dad is the Boy Who Lived. Now can she live long enough to save him?
1. One Dak and Lonely Night

**Author's Note: This idea came to me in a dream, so if it sounds surreal, you'll know why.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series, but most of the characters in this fanfic are my own, including Byrd.**

**Summary: Byrd had never known her parents. She grew up in Rockwell's Orphanage in the English countryside, far away from anyone else, so she didn't see very many people. She had always loved snow, and the wintertime, but the other kids thought she was weird and mostly stayed away from her. So her life wasn't very interesting. But when she turns 11, strange things start happening to her. Could it be…magic? And who is this mysterious stranger she keeps finding in the pine thicket? Will she be able to find her parents? Or will her life turn back into the normal, boring way it's always been?**

Snowbyrd

Ch. 1

Byrd woke with a start. Outside it was pitch black. Her bright green eyes widened. How could she have dozed off! Glancing at her watch, she jumped off of her bed. 1 o' clock! Hurriedly Byrd pulled on snow boots and a heavy jacket over her nightgown, pulled out a flashlight from the back of her sock drawer, and silently crept down the hall, making absolutely no noise lest Mrs. Pinwagon, the sour old orphanage caretaker, woke up.

Once she reached the back door, Byrd relaxed a bit. She fingered the silver bird that hung around her neck. When she had been a baby, she was brought to the orphanage and left on the front stoop amid a pile of snow with only some blankets and that bird with her. Since she had had no name, they had started to call her Byrd.

Slipping out the back door, Byrd breathed in the crisp winter air. Snow covered everything. She made her way to the pine glade, careful to step only in the footprints the children had made earlier. When she got to her favorite pine, Byrd climbed to the very top with a practiced ease. Sitting on the topmost branch, she glanced at her watch again. 1:27. Byrd smiled and took a tiny cupcake out of her pocket. "Happy Birthday!"

Byrd nearly fell out of her tree. Quickly she regained her balance and looked around to see who had wished her a happy birthday. She saw a woman down at the bottom of the pine. Byrd gasped when she saw the woman had the same long red hair as her own. "Who are you?" she asked, struggling not to fall into hysterics. _Who was this woman? Why does she have the same hair as me? How does she know it's my birthday?_

The woman made a small, sad smile. She shook her head and sighed. "I can't tell you that. If I did, that would put you in danger as well as me." Noting the confused look on Byrd's face, she said, "It's all very complicated. But I had to see you, at least once before…" her voice shook and trailed off.

"Before what?" prompted Byrd.

The woman shook her head again. "Never mind. I just need to tell to be on your guard. Some, er, strange people might come to see but whatever you do, DO NOT go with them. Except if their names are Ron, Hermione or Hagrid. Remember that, okay? If you go with anyone else, then you are in grave danger. If you need to go anywhere, to escape or anything, then go here." She placed a small scrap of paper in the snow.

Sadly she looked up and whispered, "Goodbye. I don't know if I'll be seeing you again." With that she pulled out a long stick and tapped herself. With a loud crack, she disappeared. Byrd gaped at the place for a moment, then scrambled down to retrieve the scrap of paper. On it was directions to a place not to far from the orphanage. Byrd looked at the place where the woman had disappeared and whispered one word. "Mom?"


	2. Flight of the Byrd

Disclaimer: I do not…Well, you know. Why write it here?

**Snowbyrd**

**Ch. 2**

"Mom?" The woman turned and smiled. Byrd ran up and embraced her. Her mom hugged her back.

"Byrd! Wake up now! You have a visitor!" Byrd frowned at her mom. What was she saying?…

Byrd groaned and woke up. She had been having the same dream for the past three months, ever since the incident with the lady. Distantly she heard Mrs. Pinwagon telling her to get up and dressed and come down to the office. Byrd checked her watch. Five thirty. Who would want to see her at five thirty in the morning? Groggily she got dressed and stumbled down the stairs and into Mrs. Pinwagon's office. Standing there was a short, squat balding man that reminded Byrd of a rat. He had a black glove over one of his hands and kept rubbing his left forearm nervously. "Who are you?" asked Byrd.

The man smiled somewhat kindly. Byrd thought it looked sneaky. "Oh, you look just like your mother!" he crooned.

Mrs. Pinwagon smiled her sour smile at Byrd. "Byrd, this is your father. He has come to take you home!" she said.

Byrd's mind instantly went back to the woman she had met three months ago. Struggling to keep control of her voice, Byrd asked, "Wh-what's your name?"

The man looked surprised. "Oh, it's um, it's Peter!" he said. Byrd made up her mind. The woman hadn't said anything about a Peter. He must be one of those 'strange' people that were dangerous.

"Er, okay. I, I'll just go get my stuff. Be right back!" said Byrd.

"Okay. Just be quick about it." said Mrs. Pinwagon. As she climbed the stairs, Byrd's mind raced. She had memorized the information on the scrap of paper from reading it so much. The trip shouldn't take too long, only a couple of hours if she hurried. But how to escape? She couldn't go out the front door, it was right in front of the office. And if she went out the back door, all the children would see where she was going and ask questions. That left one option: the window.

After putting on her coat and shoes and retrieving her flashlight, Byrd unlocked her window. Taking off the screen, Byrd clambered onto the roof. Looking down at the ground, Byrd groaned inwardly. It was a long ways away. Taking a deep breath, Byrd was about to climb back in the room when she heard Mrs. Pinwagon and the rat-looking man inside her room. She crawled back and found nothing below her. Grabbing wildly, she felt her hands come into contact with the drainpipe. Dangling there, Byrd realized that her feet weren't very far from the ground. She let go and landed in a lilac bush. The cracking of branches causes the rat man to look outside the window. "Hey! Get back here!" he yelled pulling a stick out of his pocket. Byrd remembered the lady having a similar stick and ran. The man pointed his stick at her and yelled something. A jet of green light streamed from the end of his stick and flew directly at Byrd. She screamed. The lilac bush she had landed in leapt up and caught the jet of green light. It withered and died. Shock covered the man's face. Byrd was feeling similar confusion. _Did I do that?_

But she didn't have time to think as the man aimed another stream of light at her. Byrd darted into the woods, feeling the jet brush past her. She shuddered violently but kept running.

After a while her run slowed into a fast walk. Dusk was approaching, and even though it was now spring the nights were freezing. Byrd was glad she had brought her flashlight when darkness fell. She should be getting close. She looked at the paper again. The Burrow. That's where she was going. Faint lights were ahead, growing stronger with every step she took. Gradually she began to make out a house, and a small shed. Voices were coming from inside the house. Byrd rubbed her eyes wearily. She listened to the friendly chatter for a moment, then knocked quietly on the door. She heard someone walk up to the door and open it a crack. Whoever was looking at her from the other side of the door gasped and threw it wide open. "Oh my god! Ron, come quick!"

Blinded temporarily by the light coming from inside, Byrd asked, "Are you Hermione, Ron or Hagrid?" The woman (for it was a woman) led her inside and sat her down.

"Yes, I'm Hermione. Ron, come _here_! Are you hungry? I've got some leftover stew here…" A bowl of delicious-smelling stew was thrust in front of her. She gulped down the stew despite its being scorching hot. She hadn't had anything to eat all day. A tall, red-haired man entered the room. Byrd's mouth fell open. He looked exactly like the lady she had meet three months ago!


	3. Of Surprised Sparrows

**Snowbyrd**

**Ch. 3**

It was Byrd's third day at the Burrow. Mostly she spent her time outside. At the orphanage, you really don't get much time alone. She reveled in the hours spent exploring the area around the Burrow. But today, a storm raged on outside. Byrd was curled up like a cat in a comfortable armchair, watching the fire. Her eyes traveled up to the mantel, where several pictures sat. Her breath sucked in when she saw the lady. She was younger, but it was definitely her. Byrd gently lifted it off the shelf and went into the kitchen, where Hermione was making lunch. "Who is this?" asked Byrd, holding out the picture. Hermione looked at it sadly.

"That was your mom. She was a wonderful woman, cheerful and happy and bright… But not anymore."

Byrd looked at her, confused. "What do you mean, not anymore?"

Hermione looked at the picture, her eyes filling up. "Ginny, that was her name, disappeared. No one knows what happened to her. We suspect the worst. We found not a single clue about where she went or if she did it or the enemy."

"But, but I saw her!: stammered Byrd, trying to stop asking every question in her head.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Where? When? Tell me everything!" Byrd told her about meeting the mysterious woman in the woods.

"That's how I knew to not come here when that rat man came for me!"

Hermione looked puzzled. "Rat man? Oh! Was his name Peter Pettigrew?"

Byrd nodded. "He said his name was Peter. He said he was my dad!" At that, Hermione's jaw dropped. She sat down abruptly in a chair.

"If Peter wanted you, then, he must know! But how? And Ginny!" she was muttering very fast to herself. "Oh no, they'll come here! We need to go to HQ, and now!"

"Um, Hermione?" Byrd was starting to get very confused. Hermione must have noticed, because she stood up again and addressed her.

"I'm sorry dear, I can't answer your questions, at least not now. We need to get going, before it's too late. I'll answer everything at the HQ. Right now, I need you to get your coat and meet me outside in the garden immediately. You must understand, we are in danger! Go quickly!"

Byrd rushed upstairs and grabbed her coat and shoes, running outside to go into the vegetable patch. A moment later Ron and Hermione joined her, both with their sticks (Byrd had discovered that they were called 'wands') and clutching brooms. Ron handed one to Byrd. "Get on!" he said.

Byrd gaped at him. "What?!" Hermione showed her how to mount her broomstick.

"Why do we have to get on a broom? Why can't we use a ca…Aaurgh!" Byrd nearly fell off when her broom lifted several feet of the ground.

"W-what's happening?" she screamed.

"You're too young to apparate, so we're flying!"

Byrd really wanted to just scream a halt and have someone, PLEASE, answer all her questions. In the space of a couple of months, her world had been turned into a frantic run with no rules. Including gravity.

"Fly?!"

"Just follow me!" yelled Ron from above her.

After a couple minutes, Byrd found that flying a broomstick wasn't so hard. In fact, she was enjoying it. It was really easy and fun! A sparrow flew after them, chattering angrily, when they upset the branch its nest was in. Byrd twirled around and caught the very surprised sparrow without even thinking about. She gaped at the sparrow and it gaped back at her. Ron wheeled around and pulled up beside her. A huge grin was plastered in his face, but his eyes were sad. "You'll be great at Quidditch, you know. Just like Harry and Ginny."

Byrd wanted to ask what Quidditch was and who was Harry when Hermione yelled for them to hurry up. Releasing the sparrow, Ron and Byrd obliged.

After a while, Byrd began to recognize parts of London from the yearly trips the orphanage took. But soon the houses grew smaller and gloomier, until they landed in a derelict street. Ron pointed his wand-stick at a place between two houses and murmured something. Byrd gasped as a house seemed to grow out of nowhere. They walked inside. Byrd was about to say something when Hermione clapped a hand over Byrd's mouth. Putting a finger over her lips, she ushered her into a cozy-looking kitchen. An old lady was stirring a pot of something. Hearing them come in, she turned around and ran to hug Ron and Hermione. Then she turned to Byrd. "Merlin's Beard! Its, it's…"

Ron smiled. "Mum, meet Byrd. Byrd, this is the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. This is your grandmother."


	4. Dream of an Angel

**Snowbyrd**

**Ch. 4**

"My grandmother?"

Byrd was completely confused. The past week had been more action-packed than the last eleven ears of her life. And now, she was finding everyone in her family except her parents.

She was lying in bed. She had wanted to ask all her questions upon arrival, but it was very late and sleep had overwhelmed her. She turned over to be more comfortable and felt her eyelids close…

Her mother was standing in a graveyard. She was bound and gagged, and she was held back by a statue of the Dark Angel. A man was standing in front of her. It was the rat man. He was laughing as he pointed his stick at her mom. She screamed, despite her gag, and started writhing against the statue. A woman approached. She had long, black messy hair. She yelled something at the rat man and he stopped. "You know we have to wait. Bring him!" she said, shooting a jet of light at the man. He screeched and ran off. Her mom was hanging, limp, against the statue. The woman cackled.

"Not so high and mighty now, are we?!" she asked, sneering. The rat man came back, dragging another man. The man's eyes widened when he saw the woman. Byrd saw his face clearly. Everything went black.

Byrd sat up, drenched in sweat. That had been no dream. It was real, she knew it. She needed to save her mother! But where was her mother? She knew it had been a graveyard, but that could have been anywhere. Her train of thought was interrupted by a loud creak outside her door. It opened, and in came a man. He was tall and had graying hair. He had a worn, thinned-out look about him.

"I heard you screaming, and I came to see what's wrong." He explained.

"Who are you?" asked Byrd.

"I'm Remus Lupin. You can call me Lupin."

Byrd decided to ask him straight out. "Do you know of any graveyards? Like, with a statue of the Dark Angel in it?" Lupin looked at her for a moment._ Of course he is, you just asked about a graveyard! How would a total stranger know what I was talking about?_

"Learning a bit about your dad? Yes, I know a graveyard. The graveyard he was in is far away. But, there's been many a book on your father's life. This one tells where it is and what it looks like." He held a thick book out to her. "Maybe you can learn a few things from here." He left the room, leaving Byrd with the book. She looked at the cover. The book was titled Harry Potter: A Wizard to be Remembered. She opened the book to a random page and almost screamed. There was the man from her dream! She flipped to another. There he was again…and again and again! Another page showed the rat man and yet another the lady with the black hair.

She went to the index and found there was a graveyard on pgs. 157-162. She went there and saw everything she needed to know. But, should she go? She had no magic and no wand. But she would have to go. They were her parents! She sneaked downstairs (she was very good after years at the orphanage) and packed a little food, the book and took a broom. Stepping outside, she opened the book to the graveyard page. _If the place is east from here, then I should go…right!_ She mounted her broom just like Ron had showed her and flew away from the only family she knew.


	5. The School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**Snowbyrd**

**Chapter 5**

Byrd's feet ached. Her hands ached. Everything ached. Her eyelids began to droop, but she quickly shook herself. It would not do to fall asleep hundreds of feet from the ground.

She glanced down and instantly wished she hadn't. It wasn't like she was afraid of heights, but seeing hundreds of lights miles below your feet isn't exactly an enjoyable experience.

Byrd checked her watch. It was almost 2:00! Maybe she should find somewhere to sleep for the night. Looking down again, she was surprised to find the lights were gone. The city she had been flying over had ended. She started to fly down to earth. There was a dark shape slightly to her left. Angling towards it, she was glad to find that it was an old abandoned barn. She hadn't really liked the idea of sleeping outside, and so she could spend the night here.

Byrd found the barn big and comfortable. In the loft there was a ton of soft hay to lay in. Burrowing deep in it for warmth, she slowly drifted to sleep.

Byrd woke with a start. What was that? She waited, still as she could be, until she heard it again. A slight rustling just yards away from her. Peering through the hay, Byrd could just make out a small figure making its way to her general direction. Its walk was weird and lopsided. She knew it couldn't be a human, but what kind of terrible creatures were there in the magical world.

The animal hooted. Byrd screamed and jumped up. Then she laughed. It was only an owl! She had been scared by this tiny feathered figure. The owl hopped closer and stuck out a leg. Byrd saw a piece of paper tied to it. Closer inspection told her it was a letter. Moving over to a small window where moonlight shafted in, she discovered her name on it. It read;

_Ms. Potter_

_Abandoned Barn_

_Not Far From London, England_

Chills crept down Byrd's back. How had they known where she was? And who she was? With trembling hands she opened the letter. Two pieces of paper fell out. Picking up the first one, Byrd began to read.

Hogwarts School

_of_ Witchcraft _and_ Wizardry

Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall

_(Order of Merlin, First Class)_

_Dear Ms. Potter,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31._

_Yours Sincerely, _

_**Minerva**__**McGonagall**_

Minerva McGonagall,

_Headmistress_

Byrd stared at this letter. This wonderful, amazing letter. This letter proved that she could do what all those other people could, and more than anyone in the orphanage. Sure, she had been the fastest and the only one that would go up to the huge snake at the zoo, but this was different. She could make things happen that she never knew she could. And she could use a wand! But where to get one? Surely she couldn't rescue her parents without at least a wand! The second piece of paper caught her eye. She picked it up.

Hogwarts School

_of_ Witchcraft_ and _Wizardry

Uniform

First-year students will require:

Three sets of plain Work Robes (black)

One pointed hat (black) for daily wear

One pair of protected gloves (dragon hide or similar)

One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note all clothing should be labeled

Course Books

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

_Standard Book of Spells (Grade One)_

By Miranda Goshawk

_A History of Magic_

By Bathilda Bagshot

_Magical Theory_

By Albert Waffling

_A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_

By Emeric Switch

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_

By Phyllida Spore

_Magical Drafts and Potions_

By Arsenius Jigger

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_

By Newt Scamander

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection_

By Quentin Trimble

Other Equipment

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or chrystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEAR STUDENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.


	6. The Wandmaster

Snowbyrd

Chapter six

Byrd sat down roughly. She held up the letter again. That amazing, miraculous letter. This letter said that she could do magic. That she was different, special. And, and the school! Hogwarts! She could learn everything she ever needed to know about magic! She could get a stick, er, wand! She could do all those things Ron and Hermione could and maybe even more! She could go to this school, learn, be with other kids like her, and… wait. She had just remembered the look of anguish on the face of the man in her dream-er, her father. He had _needed_ someone to help him, and only she could do that. She looked back down at the letter, so full of hope and promise, and let go of it. It fluttered to the floor. Not now. Maybe later, after she had rescued her parents. If she survived. If her parents were still alive. If she could get there, and somehow get by the dangerous people. Without magic. With this thought she scooped up the letter and stuffed it in her bag. If she did do all that, she'd want this letter as a reference. And proof that she really could do all that.

Now wide awake, Byrd decided to fly on, even though it was dark and she had only gotten a few hours of sleep. She clambered onto the broom and took off, exhilarated, as usual, by the wind rushing by and the ground speeding away from her feet. She did a couple loop-the-loops for fun, but stopped once her trunk almost fell off.

After many hours sitting (now painfully) on the broom, Byrd excitedly found the town that was only a quarter mile away from the graveyard. Maybe, just maybe, she could find a store that sold wands.

She trailed around for about an hour, trying to ask for help but soon giving up. Apparently no one spoke the slightest bit of English here. Finally, she made her way to what looked like the town's center. Plenty of shops lined the streets. Finally, she found one that sold wands. Nervous, she stepped inside.

This store, unlike all the others around it, was totally empty and derelict. It looked as if no one had stepped inside here for years. She was about to turn around and go back outside when a voice startled her.

"Yes? How may I help you?" A thin, wheezing man had popped up from behind the counter. He peered at Byrd, squinting in the bad light.

"A young one, eh? Come to Gregorovitch's shop to buy your first wand?"

Shyly, Byrd nodded.

"Well, then, don't just stand there! Come, come, around the counter now, we need to try a few!" He paused. "You do have money, don't you?"

Byrd nodded again and took out the few coins Ron had given her back at the Burrow. The man, Gregorovitch, snatched it up and began counting. Then he pocketed it all and led Byrd behind the counter.

She followed him to a little room in the back of the store. It was empty and windowless. "Now, just stay put while I go get a couple wands." instructed Gregorovitch. Byrd hummed a tune she barely remembered, like some forgotten dream, while she waited. Finally, Gregorovitch appeared, carrying some long, thin boxes. He handed one to her.

"Here, give this one a wave, missy. Cedar and dragon heartstring, very powerful and good for Transfiguration." Byrd did not know what he was talking about, so she closed her eyes and waved the wand. Nothing happened.

She tried again. This time, Gregorovitch's cape flew up over his head. After disentangling himself, he took back the wand and handed her another. "Yew and phoenix feather. Whippy, good for charms."

Byrd flicked it at the pile of wand boxes. They rose and flew at her. She screamed and ducked.

"No, no, definitely not. How about…this one. Ash and unicorn hair. Great for advanced, tricky spells."

And so it went on. Every wand seemed to do everything _but_ what she wanted it to. A memorable time was when she caused Mr. Gregorovitch's hat to mutate into a giant, fanged mouth that chased him around the room. But Gregorovitch was not to be deterred. Indeed, he almost seemed to enjoy it. Finally, they got to the last wand in the fifth stack that the wandmaker had brought. After announcing it ("Cherry wood and Phoenix Feather, Twelve in. Quite exceptional with defense spells."), Byrd got it right. With an odd combination of a swish and flick that the wandmaker had taught and some mumbo-jumbo words (Wingardium, Leviosa!), she caused the box the wand had just come out of to levitate a few feet off the ground. She had a wand!

After thanking mister Gregorovitch profusely, she left the shop with empty pockets and high spirits. She had a wand! And she could do MAGIC! Back at camp, she practiced the spell mister Gregorovitch had taught her over and over again, until she could do it perfectly. That night, she went to sleep cradling her new wand.

And then a dream came again.

_The man, her dad, was tied to a post. He was hunched over on his knees, total defeat. Byrd could see shadows darting across the ground in front of him. People were talking, but she could not hear what they were saying. Confidently, she walked away from he dad and towards the voices. They belonged to people, huddled around three people. Two woman, one her mom, and a large man. Almost too large._

_The people were laughing and shooting spells at the people. Every time a spells hit one of the women, they flinched or cried out. But nothing hurt the man. He was doing his best to shield the women, but Byrd could see he was losing consciousness fast. He gaze wandered from the people to a woman with long, black, tangled hair that stood apart form all the others. She was sitting on a magnificent tombstone, of the angel of death leaning over a white marble tombstone with a small etching on the back. Looking closer, Byrd could see it was of a skull, with a serpent gliding out of it. Then, the dream vanished, and Byrd was wise awake._

Without stopping to think, Byrd packed up everything and flew towards the graveyard. Her parents were in trouble, and they needed help _now_.

**Please Review! Thanks!**

rudolphtherednoseddolly


	7. Fly Away Home

**Snowbyrd**

**Final Chapter**

**RudolphTheRedNosedDolly**

Byrd looked at the graveyard, hidden by a large, thorny bush. She bit her lip as she pulled out yet another sharp thorn. She had been waiting there for hours, watching the empty cemetery. She shivered and wished she had thought to bring her jacket to her hideout. Dusk was approaching, and Byrd watched the graveyard closely. All of her dreams had taken place at nighttime, so maybe they only came out at night? It didn't seem likely, but it was the only hope Byrd had. She really didn't have a plan, but she had been practicing her spell. It was going pretty good, as far as Byrd could tell. She had also remembered a spell Hermione had done a few times, Scourgify. It had made all of their food disappear after they were done eating. Byrd hoped that with these two spells she could free her parents.

Footsteps broke Byrd out of her reverie. She looked up, wincing as another thorn pierced her leg. The woman came into sight and sat on the gravestone Byrd had seen in her dreams. The rat man, or Peter, also appeared, leading two woman. Byrd barely suppressed a gasp when she saw one of the women was her mom. Ropes encircled their upper body, and when Peter led them to a tree, he pointed his wand at them and more of the thick black ropes snaked out and tied them to it. Then, another man and a woman came, levitating someone in front of them. When they passed her, Byrd could see it was her dad. He was limp, floating there, and a trickle of dried blood was next to his mouth. His eyes were shut. Byrd couldn't breathe as she saw him pass. Her heart missed a beat. Was he still alive?

The man lay him down on the ground and the woman produced more black ropes. The woman with black hair stepped forward and faced Byrd's mom.

"We wanted you to get a good view of this. We wouldn't want you to miss your own husband's execution, would we?"

Byrd almost gasped. She stopped herself just in time. She had to stay hidden, for now at least. Her mom glared at the woman. "You're pathetic, Bellatrix. You couldn't even capture him until you were twenty against one! And now you need to kill him while he's unconscious!" The woman, Bellatrix, slapped her. She started to bleed where Bellatrix's hand had hit her cheek. The other woman, one with long blonde hair, was about to say something but Bellatrix gagged them both.

"Silence, Lovegood! We need to get on with this!" Bellatrix then walked over to Byrd's dad. He was still unconscious. She turned his foot over with contempt.

"Hard to believe you, boy, finished off the Dark Lord. But now no more. And Ginny, you were right. It would be too easy to let him die without knowing it! Alecto, wake him."

The woman stepped forward and whispered, "Aguamenti." Water poured from her wand and onto Byrd's dad's face. Byrd made a mental note of the spell. Her dad tried to sit up, coughing and spluttering, but he was pushed back down by Bellatrix's foot. He looked up, his eyes as hard as ice.

"Decided whether to kill me yet, Bellatrix? We all know you don't have the mettle for it."

Bellatrix smiled dangerously. "Actually, yes, I have decided, Potter. You are laying on your execution site now."

Potter said nothing. Bellatrix smiled her dangerous smile again. "Well, why are we waiting around here? I think we've had enough chit chat time. Good-bye, Potter!" She raised her wand, high above her head.

"Ava-" Byrd screamed. Bellatrix paused in midmotion.

"What was that? Amycus, check it out!"

Potter smirked. "Got to send him to do it? Is Bellatrix afraid?"

Bellatrix growled but did nothing, watching Amycus closely. Byrd gulped. Amycus was coming closer. She frantically searched her brain for what to do. She pulled out her wand as Amycus lit his wand and pointed it towards the bush.

"Hey! There's some liddle girl-"

"Scourgify!" Byrd yelled. Amycus pulled back, but the spell could not miss. His face turned pink and he clawed at his eyes as bubbles came out of them.

"Aargh! I'll kill 'er! Where is she?"

The woman called Alecto sprang forward. Byrd launched herself at Alecto and they both fell down.

"Expelliarmus!"

Byrd's wand went flying out of her grasp. She gasped and snatched Alecto's and yelled, "Aguamenti!" Gallons of water poured onto Alecto's face and she closed her eyes, trying to get her wand back. Byrd wriggled out of her grasp and Alecto fell forward into the thorn bush, thrashing. But the more she tried to get free, the more tangled she got. Byrd turned around and faced Bellatrix, who was looking at her with an awestruck expression, which quickly turned into fury.

"You little brat! Avada Kedavra!" The spell barely missed Byrd as she dove behind a tombstone. She peered over the top of it and saw Bellatrix coming closer. She scampered away behind another gravestone. A jet of red light destroyed the tombstone Byrd had just been behind.

"Come out, come out!" crooned Bellatrix, destroying another headstone. Byrd scurried behind another one, leading Bellatrix farther and farther into the cemetery. Just get her away from my parents, thought Byrd. She was creeping backwards, keeping an eye on Bellatrix's rampage, when she felt something cold and unyielding behind her. She turned around and found she had run into a fence. Byrd looked around for another way out. Just then, the gravestone in front of her exploded. Bellatrix appeared right in front of her.

"Got you now, little girl. Avada Kedavra!" Byrd screamed again and dove out of the way. The fence behind her melted. Terrified, Byrd ran as fast as she could, not looked where she was going. Spells whizzed past her. Suddenly, she fell. She looked at what had tripped her. It was her dad. He was trying to say something. She ripped off the gag.

"Untie me! Relashio!"

With shaking hands, Byrd pointed the wand at his bonds.

"Relashio!"

Just then, Byrd felt herself flying backwards. She hit a tree and fell down. She realized she didn't have her wand anymore. Everything ached. She looked up to see Bellatrix standing over her, smiling that dangerous smile. "Well well well, what do we have here? A little trapped bird! Do you know what we do with little trapped birds, Alecto?"

Alecto came stumbling over, pulling out thorns. "Aargh, kill 'er! Lookit what she did to Amycus!"

"No! Let me see the girl!" A very different voice filled the graveyard. It made the hair on the back of Byrd's neck stand up. A pearly white figure floated towards them. It was of a man. But this man had a serpentine face with two slits for nostrils. His eyes were searching Byrd's face intently.

"Wh-what do you mean, my Lord?" asked Bellatrix.

"Look at her. And then at the Weasley girl. Do you not see any resemblance?"

Bellatrix peered into Byrd's face, then at Ginny's. She gasped. "Do you really think-"

"Yes, I do. We have Potter's child!" interrupted the ghost.

"What are you going to do know, Potter?" She faced him, smirking. The smirk died away when she realized he was pointing his wand directly at her heart.

"Crucio!" Before Bellatrix could raise her own wand, she was borne into the air, writhing. She fell, slamming against a tombstone, and was still. The other man and woman turned around, but Potter sent them flying, too. Finally he faced the ghost. It spoke.

"Surprised to see me, Potter? Thought I was dead for good, didn't you. But here I am, and there's nothing that you can do to me!"

Potter glared at the ghost. "And there's nothing you can do to me, either. So we're square. And there's every person in the village coming right now."

"What do you mean? Everyone is asleep! I and my Death Eaters will have disappeared long before the idiots of this village wake up!"

By way of answer, Potter simply pointed at the sky. Only then did Byrd notice the pink tint on the horizon. As they watched, it grew. The ghost screamed. "Potter, I will be back for you! You cannot hide from me now!"

Potter laughed. "When you controlled Britain you still couldn't find me! But I won't have to worry about you. These three are all that is left of your following! And notice that every one of them is unconscious in the middle of a village full of skilled wizards. You are alone, Voldemort!" Voldemort raised his arm as if to send a spell at him, but lowered it. His face was livid, but he turned around and flew away as fast as he could. Finally Potter turned towards Byrd. He looked disbelieving.

"We left you with the muggles! We thought we'd never see you again! How'd you know?" Byrd felt nervous looking into the face of her father, the father she hadn't known she had until a couple weeks ago.

But before she could answer, a rock hit Potter's head. He turned around, brandishing his wand, and found himself facing the two woman tied to the tree. "Oh yeah!" said Potter, and he released them, a bit sheepishly.

"Finally!" panted Byrd's mom. "Those ropes hurt!"

"How 'bout you, Luna? You okay?" The woman with the blonde hair nodded.

"The worshinkles protected us, I think." she said. Potter nodded. Her mom came over and hugged Byrd.

"Harry, I came to her a couple months ago. I know it was risky, but if they had put the plan into action, those all would have been lost! That's how they captured me. At least she got to the Burrow okay. But how she found out about the graveyard, and us being here..."

All three of them looked at Byrd. She explained. "I had these weird dreams of you here. They were so real, it was like-"

"Like you were really there." finished Potter.

"How did you know?" Byrd was confused.

"I had those dreams, too. They were from Voldemort's mind. He learned to shut me out, but you might have inherited it...If he didn't know about you, then he wouldn't have been able to shut you out, would've he?"

"But Voldemort's a ghost!" protested Luna.

"Yeah, but do we really know that they would stop working when he died? His ghost is his soul, after all. And the soul was what connected us."

Byrd's brain began to ache. "Weird. But now we're free! But how's everybody at home? Is the Order still going? I haven't seen them in so long!"

Byrd piped up. "You mean the Order of the Phoenix?"

"Yes."

"They're waiting for you. They thought you were dead, until I told them about seeing you."

Potter smiled longingly. "It's been a long time since I've seen Ron and Hermione."

Ginny smiled and retrieved two wands from Bellatrix's still form. She tied the three Death Eaters up with one wand and tossed the other the Luna. "Then I think it's time to go home!"


End file.
